Low inflation has been a concern for Western policymakers ever since the start of the Great Recession. Despite record low interest rates and unprecedented balance sheet expansion most central banks are still looking for higher inflation.

Since 2008, Degroof Petercam has been publishing its six-monthly sustainability ranking for the 35 OECD countries. Here, it is no surprise to see that the United States remains at the bottom of the ranking.

“Comply or explain”: this is the principle which increasingly defines the regulatory framework, particularly in Europe. Regulation is increasingly pushing companies and investors to assume their responsibility towards society and the various stakeholders.

Economic confidence indicators continue to point to a solid cyclical growth momentum across sectors and regions. While financial market volatility is very low, economic policy uncertainty remains at high levels.

The long-awaited final report of the High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance, which helped the European Commission with its strategy to foster sustainable finances, was made public on 29 January 2018.

Your monthly appointment with the financial markets. What were the trends for equities, bonds, currencies and commodities in the past month, and what made the markets move ? You can discover the most striking evolutions in this clear and concise analysis.